John McKinley Leeland (1896 - 1970)

Born 15 Dec 1896 in Charles, Maryland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Madeline Keane — married 4 May 1938 in Church of St John the Evangelist, Manhattan, New York

Descendants

Died 19 Jul 1970 at age 73 in Westmoreland, Colonial Beach, VA

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Mac Leeland is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Army 1918-1919
Sergeant

Biography

Mac was born in Welcome, Charles County, Maryland on December 15th, 1896. He grew up in Hill Top, Charles County, Maryland.^[1][2] His parents were farmers and owned the land they worked at Paper and Hilltop road.^[3]

During the 1900 and 1910 Census Mac lived with his parents, four sisters and a brother in Hill Top, Maryland.^[4]

When Mac registered for the draft he was working for the U.S. Steel and Ordinance Company in Washington, DC and he lived at 416 South Lee in Alexandria, VA.^[5]

Sunday September 1st, 1918 the Evening Star reported John M. Leeland had been summoned by the local draft board to entrain at 9:47 at Camp Lee, VA.^[6] Mac was drafted into the US Army as an Infantryman on September 9th, 1918. At the time he was residing at 416 S Lee St Alexandria, VA. His parents were living in Welcome, MD. He trained at Camp Lee, Va part of Co F 11 Bn Inf Repl & Tng Camp.

Mac's father died about 1919 while he was deployed. His Mother remarried to John Biller and moved with his two brothers Howard and Lemuel to 25 P Street NE, Washington, DC.^[7] He was overseas from October 28th, 1918 to July 6th, 1919. He sailed out on the USS Antigone and returned 25 Jun 1919 from service listed as Regiment: Co 157 Trans Gd Serv via St Nazaire, France on the USS Mongolia.^[8]

Mac arrived in France just before Armistice Day which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.

While enlisted in WWI Mac sustained injuries from shrapnel in his leg and eye. He did not share stories of his deployment with anyone in the family. In his military uniform picture he is a Sergeant (E-5) with the following ribbons: Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal, WWI Victory Medal.

After returning from France, in 1920 Mac lived in Washington, DC with his Mother and Stepfather John Biller at 25 P Street NE. His sister Myrtle and her husband Richard Kimball also lived in the same household.^[9]

On March 21st, 1920 Mac married Katherine Fagan in Washington, DC.^[10]

Mac met May (Mary Madeline) in New York City. Family lore states that Mac and May couldn't marry because Mac's first wife refused to grant him a divorce.

Eugene was born August 29th, 1929 in New York City. Dorothy was born about 1931 in Washington, DC.

During the 1930 Census Mac and May are living with his Mom and Stepfather.

Mac and May married May 4th, 1938 at the Church of St John the Evangelist in Manhattan. According to the marriage certificate, Joseph and Mary Leeland were the witnesses; however, there are no relatives named "Joseph Leeland". The more likely story is that these were Joseph and his wife Mary (Lynch) Morgan, May's aunt and uncle.

By 1940 Mac and May moved to New York City.^[11] While in NYC Mac drove a taxi cab. His brother Pat also lived in New York City. A third child, John, was born in 1941 at St. Anne's Hospital, New York City. At some point they returned to Washington D.C. where Mac operated a Window Cleaning Service. You could find him taking his brushes, squeegees and poles onto the trolly cars into downtown for the day. Sometimes he would do all the storefronts in succession on the street. He cleaned a lot of storefronts on H Street. He had an office on Wisconsin Avenue at one time. The name of the business started as John M. Leeland, then became Leeland and Sons, then Leeland, Sons and Anderson when Buck Anderson joined him. At some point the business gained a Chevy panel truck that John would drive.

Mac. May and their children lived on North Capital and T street with Street cars right in front of the house. The family would watch the 4th of July fireworks from atop the house. The family regularly participated in the White House Egg roll on Easter.

The family went to Mass every Sunday at Saint Martin's. John went to Saint Martin's Elementary School.

On weekends the family got together in Colonial Beach, Va and Marshall Hall. They also spent weekends in New York City with family.

Mac passed away in Colonial Beach, VA 1970 and is interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery.^[12][13]

Research Notes

Ind Alexandria Va. 9/9/18 pvt, Co F 11 Bn Inf Repl & Tng Camp Camp Lee Va.; 102 Prov Co APO 727 10/21/18; Co B 162 Inf 12/22/18; 157 Co Transp C 1/6/19; Co G 62 Inf 7/6/19, Hon disch 7/19/19, Overseas 10/28/18 to 7/6/19. Ended Service as E-5.

Sources

1. ↑ US Census. Year: 1900; Census Place: Hill Top, Charles, Maryland; Enumeration District: 0070
2. ↑ US Census. Year: 1910; Census Place: Hill Top, Charles, Maryland; Roll: T624_563; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0036; FHL microfilm: 1374576
3. ↑ 1910 United States Federal Census. Year: 1910; Census Place: Hill Top, Charles, Maryland; Roll: T624_563; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0036; FHL microfilm: 1374576
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M329-LKH : accessed 9 December 2020), John Mck Leeland in household of Jno R Leeland, Election District 2, Hill Top, Charles, Maryland, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 70, sheet 11B, family 206, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,621.
5. ↑ United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
6. ↑ Affairs in Alexandria. Evening Star. Sunday, Sep 01, 1918. Washington (DC), DC. Page:9. Accessed 9 Dec 2020 by Shanna Leeland
7. ↑ 1920 United States Federal Census. Year: 1920; Census Place: Washington, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: T625_205; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 34
8. ↑ Military Men 1917-1918. Maryland in the World War 1917-1919 Military and Naval Service Records In Two Volumes and Case of Maps Volume II
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNLJ-QH9 : accessed 9 December 2020), John M Leeland in household of John E Biller, Washington, District of Columbia, United States; citing ED 34, sheet 1B, line 55, family 14, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 205; FHL microfilm 1,820,205.
10. ↑ Marriages. Washington Post. https://www.fold3.com/image/227732354?terms=John%20mckinley%20Leeland&xid=1945 Allen County Public Library 21 Mar 1920
11. ↑ US Census. Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: T627_2657; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 31-1428
12. ↑ Virginia Death Records 1912-2014
13. ↑ Deaths. Evening Star. Friday, Jul 31, 1970. Washington (DC), DC. Page: 27. Accessed 9 Dec 2020 by Shanna Leeland.

• District of Columbia, Marriage Records, 1810-1953